Outsole gouging machines



Feb. 20, 1962 H. c. PAULSEN OUTSOLE GOUGING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed. Nov. 2, 1959 In van for Hans C Paulserb B his' A ii'orney Feb. 20, 1962 H. c. PAULSEN OUTSOLE GOUGING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed. NOV. 2, 1959 Feb. 20, 1962 H. c. PAULSEN OUTSOLE coucmc MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 2, 1959 Feb. 20, 1962 H. c. PAULSEN 3,021,540

OUTSOLE GOUGING MACHINES Filed. Nov. 2, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Feb. 20, 1962 H. c. PAULSEN 3,021,540

OUTSOLE GOUGING MACHINES Filed Nov. 2, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 3,021,54il GUISQLE GOUGING MACHlNES Hans C. Paulsen, Lexington, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 850,140 Claims. (Cl. ill-27) This invention relates to improvements in machines for gouging the upper face of a slab or sheet rubber composition outsole or outsole blank to form in said face a groove adapted to receive the overlasted upper of a shoe to which the outsole is subsequently attached.

In the manufacture of shoes having thick rubber composition outsoles it is customary adhesively to attach a premolded outsole to the overlasted bottom of the shoe, the upper face of the outsole being premolded to concave form in order to receive the slightly convex shoe bottom and to insure that in the finished shoe the margin portion of the outsole shall hug the margin of the shoe bottom to which it is cemented. Premo-lded rubber outsoles such as above referred to are expensive and in the manufacture of low priced mens work shoes applicant proposes to die or stamp out, from sheets or mats of rubber composition material of substantially uniform thickness, outsoles or outsole blanks which are commonly referred to as slab rubber outsoles and which may be substituted for the molded rubber outsoles referred to above. In order to insure that the slab rubber outsole, especially when it is thick, shall readily conform to the shoe bottom and may be readily secured to the shoe without any margin gapping or so-called fight occurring between the outsole and the shoe bottom, it is proposed to form in the upper face of the outsole or outsole blank a groove which is spaced slightly from and follows the margin of the outsole of the shoe. In such a construction the outsole may be effectively attached to the shoe bottom by the use of adhesives, the margin of the outsole merging at tractively with the margin of the bottom of the shoe.

In order quickly and effectively to form in the upper face of the slab rubber composition outsole or outsole blank a groove which extends along and is spaced a uniform distance from the margin of the outsole, there is provided a machine which comprises a rigid work table having a surface adapted to be engaged by an upper face of the outsole, a fixed knife having a cutting edge extending over and spaced from the table, feed wheels projecting above the surface of the table at opposite sides respectively thereof and positioned adjacent to opposite ends of the cutting edge of the knife, a pressure roll adapted to engage a bottom face of the outsole supported by the table, means for urging the roll yieldingly toward the table, an edge gage adapted tobe engaged by the margin of the outsole on said table, and power means for rotating the pressure roll and the feed wheels and thus causing the table and the edge gage to guide the outsole over the table and past the knife as the operator holds the edge of the outsole against said gage. In order to facilitate the feeding of the outsole past the knife as portions of the groove along the toe and heel ends of the outsole are being formed, the illustrative machine is provided with mechanism controlled by the operator for stopping the power feed of one of the feed rolls. The pressure roll is made of yieldable plastic material or of rubber composition and has a portion which is relatively nonconformable and is arranged opposite one of the feed wheels located adjacent to the edge gage, the remaining portion of the roll being somewhat conformable and arranged opposite the table and the other feed wheel.

The present invention consists in the above features and features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodimhto Patented Feb. so, 1962.

ment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration, said invention being fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 shows in perspective an operating head of the illustrative machine;

FIG. 2 is a left side view, partly in section, of the upper portion of the machine illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail view of a trimming knife used in the illustrative machine;

FIG. 4 is a view, partly in section, on the line lV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to a portion of the showing in- FIG. 4 illustrating the machine in the process of forming a groove in the upper face of a rubber composition outsole;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation of the lower portion of the illustrative machine and shows power means fordriving outsole feeding mechanism of the machine and also treadle means for controlling operation of said mechanism;

FIG. 7 shows in perspective a rubber composition out sole or outsole blank which has been grooved by the use of the illustrative machine; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a small portion of a shoe to the bottom of which the outsole illustrated in FIG. 7 has been attached by the use of adhesive.

The illustrative machine is described with reference to forming a groove 20 (FIGS. 2, 5, 7 and 8) in the upper face 22 of a rubber composition outsole or outsole blank 24 to prepare said outsole for attachment to the bottom 26 of a shoe 28 (FIG. 8), said groove being equidistant from an edge 30 of said outsole and following along said edge.

It is proposed to die out the outsole 24 from a ma (not shown) of thick rubber composition stock. The groove Ztl formed in the outsole serves to receive an overlasted margin 32 of an upper 34 of the shoe, said overlasted margin fitting in the groove and forming with the outsole a closed, neat appearing marginal joint. Prior to attaching the outsole 24 to the shoe 28 the overlasted margin 32 of the shoe upper is roughened, the outsole thereafter being attached to the shoe bottom by cement or other suitable adhesive which has been previously applied to the overlasted margin of the upper 34 of the shoe and also to the bottom and sides of the groove 20. In the-finished shoe the overlasted margin 32 of the shoe upper 34 lies in the groove 29 and an island 36 surrounded by the groove normally bears against an insole 38 of the shoe. The outsole also has a bottom or bottom face 39. The mat of rubber composition from which the outsole 24 is stamped or died out may be of uniform thickness but preferably has a forepart which is slightly thicker than the shank and heel portion of the outsole,

the ball line of the outsole which is died out beinggem' erally in alinement with a line from which the material of the mat tapers in thickness to a thickness reduced portion thereof. I

The operating head of the machine is secured to a bench 40 (FIGS. 1 and 6) by screws 42 and comprises a main frame 44 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4). Adjustably secured to the main frame 44 by screws 46 is a bracket 48 to which is secured by screws 5! a flat horizontal plate or work table 52. The main frame 44 has also secured to it by screws 54 a bracket 56, a screw 58 threaded into a boss of the main frame 44 being provided for assisting in initially positioning the bracket in its heightwise adjusted position on the main frame and for maintaining this ad curved outwardly and backWa-rdly from said leading por tion as best shown in FIG. 3. The forward lateral portions of the knife 62 are provided with bevel faces 62a the lower ends of which form with a flat lower face 62b of the knife lateral cutting edge portions 64a. The cutting edge of the knife 62 is included in a plane and may be said to he U-shaped as viewed in the direction of the feed of the work.

The knife 62 is provided with a slot 66 having passing through it a pair of screws 68 which extend through holes in a clamp plate 70 and are threaded into the bracket 56, the heads of the screws being forced against the upper face of the clamp plate to hold the knife fixed in its initially adjusted position in which the central straight line portion of the cutting edge 64 of the knife extends across and is arranged slightly above a trailing end of the fiat upper face of the work table 52.

Rotatably mounted in bearings secured to the main frame 44 is a shaft 72 having keyed to its rear end portion a sprocket 74 (FIGS. 1 and 4) which is operatively connected by a chain 76 to a sprocket 78 (FIG. 6) secured to a shaft 80 rotatably mounted in a reduction gear box 82 secured to a shelf of the bench 40.

Power for driving a feed or pressure roll 84 and auxiliary and main feed wheels 86, 88 hereinafter referred to is supplied by an electric motor as (FIG. 6) adapted to drive through a belt 92, a pulley 94 which, when the machine is powered but not operating upon work, rotates idly on a shaft 96 which is journaled in the reduction gear box 82 and in a bearing 98 supported by the bench 40 and which is operatively connected to speed reduction mechanism comprising the shaft 80.

The pulley 94 may be operatively connected for rotation with the shaft 96 of the reduction gear box 82 or may be disengaged for rotation on said shaft by the use of a clutch 180 comprising a friction disk 102 which is secured for rotation with the shaft 96 and is shiftable lengthwise of said shaft as is well known in the "art. The clutch 100 also comprises a disk operating yoke 164 i011! naled at 106 on the main frame 44 and having operatively connected to its lower end a bell crank lever 198 mounted on a bearing screw 118 secured to the bench 40. The yoke 104 is constantly urged clockwise as viewed from the front of the machine by the coil spring 112 opposite ends of which are attached to the main frame 44 and to the bottom of the yoke 104.

The bell crank lever 168 is operatively connected to the upper end of a multipart connector 114 the lower end of which is pivotally connected to a treadle 116 pivoted on a bearing shaft 118 secured to the bench 40. The multipart connector 114 comprises an L-shaped lug 114a having in its flanged lower end a bore 11% for receiving slidingly a rod portion 1140 of the connector 114. A nut 114d is threaded onto the rod portion 114s of the multipart connector 114 and interposed between the nut and a shoulder of the lug is a compression spring 114a. Secured to the rod portion 1140 of the multipart connector 114 is a block 1141" provided with a bore 114g for receiving a rod 124 the upper end of which passes through a bore in a bell crank lever 124 and has threaded onto it a nut 121 bearing against said lever.

The main feed wheel 88 has a sleeve portion 88a provided with an internal frusto conical face 88b. Rotatably mounted upon the shaft 72 is the auxiliary feed wheel 86 which has formed integral with it a frusto conical projection 86:: adapted to interfit with the internal conical face 88b of the main feed wheel 88. The auixiliary feed wheel 86 is constantly in engagement with a thrust bearing 122 rotatable on the shaft 72. In engagement with the forward end of the thrust bearing 122 is an arm of the bell crank lever 124 which is fulcrumed on a hearing pin 126 carried by a bracket secured to and forming part of the main frame 44 and which, as will be explained later, controls through mechanism described the operation of the auxiliary feed wheel 86. The auxiliary and .main feed wheels 86, 88 straddle the horizontal plate or work table 52 and have toothed peripheries which extend slightly above the rear end of the upper or work supporting face of said plate and are arranged slightly in advance of the cutting edge of the knife 62.

The pressure roll 84 is keyed to a shaft 128 rotatably mounted in bearings of a lever 130 secured to the left end portion of a shaft 132 journaled in bearings supported by the main frame 44. Secured to the right end portion of the shaft 132 is a lever 134 having pivotally connected to it a rod 136 the lower end of which is pivotally connected to a tre'adle 138 fulcrumed on the bearing shaft 118. The rod 136 has threaded onto it a nut 142 and encircling the rod and interposed between the nut and a wear plate 144 secured to the top of the bench 46 is a spring 146 adapted constantly to urge the shaft 132 clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 1, and the pressure roll 84 toward the work table 52, clockwise movement of the lever 134 being limited by the engagement of the lever 130 with a gage roll supporting plate 148 which is adjustably secured to the main frame 44 and is hereinafter referred to.

It will be noted that the unstippled portion of the pressure roll (FIG. 4) is relatively hard as compared with the remaining or stippled portion of the roll which is relatively soft. In some types of work a design is embossed on a portion of the bottom of the outsole spaced a short distance inward from the edge of the outsole. In operating upon hard synthetic rubber outsoles the unstippled right end portion (FIG. 4) of the pressure roll 84 is preferably made hard in order effectively to cooperate with the main feed wheel 88 in the feeding of the outsole 24 past the knife 62. If the remainiing portion of the pressure roll 88 is too hard there is a tendency for the roll operating against a raised design, which is sometimes formed on the bottom of the outsole, to depress some portions of the outsole more than others with the result that the resultant groove 20 formed in the outsole is not uniformly deep, the bottom of said groove being undulatory and accordingly not smooth. In order to avoid this condition the stippled portion of the pressure roll 84 is made of material that is somewhat softer than the material of the unstippled portion of the roll. During the groove forming operation the raised design portion of the outsole is embedded in the pressure roll, causing the outsole to be moved a uniform distance below the cutting edge of the knife and thus insuring that the groove shall be uniformly deep and shall have a smooth planar bottom.

The treadle 138 is depressed preparatory to placing an outsole on the work table 52 between the pressure roll 84 and the auxiliary and main feed wheels 86, 88, the edge 30 of the outsole, as it is placed on the feed wheels, being forced against an edge gage or roll 152 rotatably mounted on the above-mentioned plate 148 which is adjustably secured to the main frame 44 by the use of screws 156 which pass through slots 158 formed in the plate 148 and are threaded into said frame. The edge gage 152 may be described as being arranged opposite the upper peripheral portion of the main feed wheel 88. The treadle 138 is released once the work has been presented to the machine thereby allowing the pressure roll 84 acted upon by the spring 146 to force the outsole 24 against the work table 52 and the auxiliary and main feed wheels 86 and 88. In order that the groove 20 formed in the outsole 24 shall be equidistant from the edge of the outsole as the outsole is fed over the table 52 by the combined action of the pressure roll 84 and the feed wheels 86, 88, the edge of the outsole as above explained is held forced against the edge gage 152 by the operator.

The stub shaft 128 is operatively connected by a compound universal link 160 to a shaft 162 which is journaled in a bearing of the main frame 44 and has keyed to it a pinion 164 meshed with a pinion 166 fixed to the shaft 72, the construction and arrangement being such that the pressure roll 84 and the feed wheels 86, 88 have the same peripheral speeds as they cause the outsole 24 to move past the cutting edge 64 of the knife 62 to form the groove 20 in the upper face of said outsole.

The rod 120, which is operatively connected to the hell crank lever 124, passes downward through the bore 114g formed in the block 114 secured to the lower portion of a multipart connector 114. Threaded onto the lower end of the multipart rod 120 is a nut 168 and resting upon the nut is a spring 170.

After the rubber composition outsole 24 has been clamped in the machine by the releasing of the treadle 138 the operator fully depresses the treadle 116 causing the clutch 104 to be engaged and thus starting the pres sure roll 84 and the auxiliary and main feed wheels 86, and 88 rotating as the operator holds the outsole against the edge gage 1.52 whereby to move the outsole past the knife 62 to form the groove 20 by a gouging cut. It will be noted that when the treadle 116' is substantially fully depressed to a recognizable point the spring 114:: on the multipart connector at 114 is compressed and the block 114] is forced downward against the spring 17%} and thus yieldingly depresses the multipart rod 126 with the result that the bell crank lever 124 is rocked slig tly clockwise as viewed in FIG. 4 and accordingly forces the frusto conical projection 86a of the feed wheel 86 against the frusto conical face 381; of the sleeve portion 38a of the feed wheel 88. The frusto conical projection ha of the auxiliary feed wheel 36, the frusto conical face 88b of the main feed wheel 88 together with the thrust bearing 122 and the bell crank lever 124 may be described as constituting a friction clutch.

In forming the toe and heel end portions of the groove 2% in the upper face 22 of the outsole 24, it has been found that if the auxiliary feed wheel 86 rotates at the same speed as the main feed wheel 33 there is a tendency for the auxiliary feed wheel to damage the outsole and furthermore that it is difficult sharply to turn the outsole. With these considerations in view it is the practice for the operator to raise the treadle 11d slightly to a recognizable point when forming the toe and heel end portions of the groove 24) thus releasing pressure of the bell crank lever 124 against the thrust bearing 122 with the result that the auxiliary feed wheel 86 is not powered during these portions of the groove forming operation. It will be noted that when the auxiliary feed Wheel 86 is inactive during the forming of portions of the groove 2% along the toe and heel ends of the outsole, the action of the knife 62 on the work assists the operator in holding the edge 36 of the outsole 24 against the edge gage 152.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In a machine for preparing a rubber composition outsole for attachment to a shoe, a rigid work table having a work supporting surface terminating in an edge and adapted to be engaged by an upper face of the outsole, a fixed knife having a cutting edge extending along said edge of the table and arranged above and spaced from the surface of the table to form a gap therewith, feed wheels projecting above the surface of the table adjacent to the opposite ends respectively of its edge and adjacent to the opposite ends of the cutting edge of the knife, a pressure roll adapted to engage a bottom face of the outsole supported by the table and the feed wheels, means for urging the roll yieldingly toward the table, an edge gage adapted to be engaged by the margin of the outsole on said table, and power means for rotating the pressure roll and the feed wheels and thus causing the table and the edge gage to guide the outsole over the table and past the knife as the operator holds the edge of the outsole against said gage whereby to form in the upper surface of the outsole, a groove which is spaced a uniform distance from the edge of the outsole and follows along said edge.

2. In a machine for preparing a rubber composition outsole for attachment to a shoe, a work table having a surface adapted to be engaged by an upper face of the outsole, a fixed knife having a cutting edge extending over and spaced from one end portion of the table, main and auxiliary feed wheels projecting slightly beyond the upper surface of the table at opposite sides respectively 6 thereof, a pressure roll arranged in opposed relation to the feed wheels and the table and adapted to be engaged by the bottom of the outsole supported by the table and the feed wheels, means for yieldingly urging the pressure roll toward the table and toward the feed wheels, an edge gage positioned opposite a periphery of the main feed wheel and adapted to be engaged by the edge of the outsole which is on the table and is engaged by the feed roll and the feed wheels, and means for rotating the pressure roll and the feed wheels and thus causing the outsole fed by said roll and said wheels to be guided by the edge gage over the table and past the knife as the operator holds the edge of the outsole against said gage whereby to form in the upper surface of the outsole a groove which is spaced a uniform distance from the edge of the outsole and follows along said edge, and means controlled by the operator for stopping the feeding rotation of the auxiliary feed wheel while the pressure roll and the main feed wheel are being rotated during the forming of portions of the groove along too and heel end portions of the outsole.

3. In a machine for preparing a rubber composition outsole for attachment to a shoe, a rigid work table having a surface adapted to be engaged by an upper face of the outsole, a fixed knife having a cutting edge extending over and spaced from an end portion of said surface of the table, main and auxiliary feed wheels projecting slightly beyond the upper surface of the table at opposite sides respectively thereof, a pressure roll adapted to engage a bottom face of the outsole which is positioned on the table and is arranged between the pressure roll and the feed wheels, means for urging the pressure roll yieldingly toward the table and the feed wheels, an edge gage adapted to be engaged by the margin of the outsole on the table and arranged adjacent to the main feed wheel, said pressure roll having a portion which is relatively hard and is arranged opposite the main feed wheel and having a remaining portion which is relatively soft and is arranged opposite the table and the auxiliary feed wheel, and means for rotating the pressure roll and the feed wheels to cause the outsole forced against the edge gage by the operator to be guided over the table and past the knife whereby to form in the upper face of the outsole a groove which is spaced a uniform distance from the edge of the outsole and extends along said edge.

4. In a machine for preparing a rubber composition outsole for attachment to a shoe, a rigid work table having a surface adapted to be engaged by an upper face of the outsole, a fixed knife having a cutting edge extending over and spaced slightly from the upper face of the table, main and auxiliary feed wheels projecting above the upper surface of the table at opposite sides respectively of said surface, a pressure roll adapted to engage the bottom face of the outsole on the table, means for constantly urging the pressure roll yieldingly toward said table and the feed wheels, an edge gage arranged adjacent to the periphery of the main feed wheel and adapted to be engaged by the edge of the outsole on the table, a clutch'operatively connecting the auxiliary feed wheel to the main feed wheel, power means for rotating the pressure roll and the main feed wheel and through said clutch the auxiliary feed wheel, and means including a manually operated member for selectively engaging and disengaging the clutch to render said auxiliary feed wheel active and inactive respectively.

5. In a machine for preparing a rubber composition outsole for attachment to a shoe, a rigid work table having a surface adapted to be engaged by an upper face of the outsole, a fixed knife having a cutting edge extending over and spaced slightly from the upper face of the table, main and auxiliary feed wheels projecting above said surface of the table at opposite sides respectively of said surface, a pressure roll adapted to engage the bottom face of the outsole on the table, means for constantly urging the roll yieldingly toward the table and the feed wheels, an edge gage arranged adjacent to the periphery of the main feed wheel and adapted to be engaged by the edge of the outsole on the table and on said feed wheels, a first clutch for operatively connecting the auxiliary feed wheel to the main feed wheel, power means including a second clutch for rotating the pressure roll and the main teed wheel and, through the first clutch, the auxiliary feed wheel, and means including a manually operated member movable to a first recognizable position to cause said second and first clutches to be engaged whereby to cause the pressure roll and the main and auxiliary feed members to be rotated to feed the outsole, which is mounted on the table and is in engagement with the edge gage, lengthwise of its edge 15 2,210,753

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,019,888 Furber Mar. 12, 1912 1,197,912 Colt Sept. 12, 1916 1,705,586 Ricks Mar. 19, 1929 2,088,765 Seely Aug. 3, 1937 Field Aug. 6, 1940 a Y, grub 

